Obama sees narrower terror threat, defends drones WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sought Thursday to advance the U.S. beyond the unrelenting war effort of the past dozen years, defining a narrower terror threat from smaller networks and homegrown extremists rather than the grandiose plots of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida. In a lengthy address at the National Defense University, Obama defended his controversial drone-strikes program as a linchpin of the U.S. response to the evolving dang...

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups. Danny Werfel, the agency’s new acting commissioner, told IRS employees in an email that he had selected a new acting head of the division, staying within the IRS to find new leadership. Ken Corbin, a 27-year IRS veteran...

Why worry? Less aid by Fed would point to recovery WASHINGTON (AP) — Investors have grown nervous that the Federal Reserve will scale back its efforts to boost the U.S. economy sooner than many expected. Yet almost lost in the anxiety that gripped the stock market this week is that whenever the Fed slows its drive to keep interest rates low, it will be cause for celebration: It would mean policymakers think the economy is strong enough to accelerate with less help from the Fed. “We should be w...

Council members abstain from vote on abstaining YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Three members of a Michigan city council have abstained from voting on a measure that would have prevented them from abstaining on future votes. Ypsilanti City Council member Pete Murdock proposed a resolution Tuesday that would have required council members to only vote “yes” or “no” on each issue unless they had a financial or professional conflict. Mayor Paul Schreiber and council members Susan Moeller and Brian Robb...

State to submit ’private option’ waiver in AugustLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Medicaid officials said Thursday the state will submit its request to use federal money to purchase private insurance for thousands of low-income residents by August. Department of Human Services Director John Selig told lawmakers that the state would draft its waiver next month for the “private option” that lawmakers approved as an alternative to Medicaid expansion. Selig said the state planned to submit the waiver...

37-year-old man charged in Wash. state ricin scare SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man was arrested Wednesday in a case involving last week’s discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin. A grand jury indictment accuses Matthew Ryan Buquet, 37, of mailing a death threat to U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle in Spokane on May 14. A search of federal court records turned up no indication that Buquet had ever appeared before Van Sickle or had any connection to the judge. The indictm...

Broke no laws, IRS official says — then takes 5th WASHINGTON (AP) — At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers’ further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. In one of the most electric moments since the IRS controversy erupted nearly two weeks ago, Lois Lerner unwaverin...

Who else took the 5th? Baseball star, banker, more WASHINGTON (AP) — The baseball star, the Hollywood 10, Oliver North. And Lois Lerner of the IRS. The official enmeshed in a probe of the tax agency is the latest on a roll call of witnesses called before Congress who refused to answer lawmakers’ questions. A few well-known names who invoked Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination: ——— White House gate crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi declined to tell lawmakers in 2010 how they...

House panel moves to curb military sexual assaults WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of a House panel angry over the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the military took a key step toward tackling the problem by passing legislation Wednesday that would strip commanding officers of their longstanding authority to unilaterally change or dismiss court-martial convictions in rape and assault cases. Lawmakers believe the revision will lead to a cultural shift and encourage victims to step forward. The ...

Weiner launches comeback bid to become NYC mayor NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Weiner knows there may be a lot of New Yorkers who would never consider voting for him again, but he says he’s running for mayor because he wants to bring his ideas to the fore — and win. “I don’t kid myself. I know that this is going to be a difficult slog, and I’m going to have to have a lot of difficult conversations with people along the way,” the former congressman, whose career imploded in a rash of raunchy tweets...

A divided Fed wrestles with when to slow bond buys WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is torn over when to slow its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy. Its uncertainty burst into view Wednesday, when Chairman Ben Bernanke testified to Congress in the morning and the Fed in the afternoon released the minutes of its last policy meeting. Stock prices gyrated through the day as investors struggled to determine whether the Fed might soon pull back — even gradually — on its extraordinary...

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy. It was already known that three Americans had been killed in U.S. dron...

Beebe: Working quickly to pick new treasurer LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday he hopes to name a replacement in the next several days for the state treasurer, who resigned over accusations she took cash bribes from a bond broker. Beebe said he already has spoken with some candidates about filling the unexpired term of Treasurer Martha Shoffner, who resigned on Tuesday. Shoffner, a Democrat, stepped down amid federal charges that she accepted at least $36,000 in ...

2 men sentenced in election fraud case LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Two men who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in an election fraud case involving a former east Arkansas lawmaker have been sentenced to home confinement and probation. Federal court records show that Phillip Wayne Carter was sentenced Wednesday to five months of home confinement. Sam Malone was sentenced Tuesday to 7.2 months of home confinement. Both men were also sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to co...

Election commission prepares for Walmart voteThe Pope County Election Commission met Monday to prepare for the referendum election regarding a zoning ordinance that provides for the construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Commissioners soon found that the processes for setting up such an election are not clear, as state law does not outline the process for a municipal referendum election. The state does, however, give guidelines for county-level elections, which can be used as a g...

Senate panel approves immigration bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Far-reaching legislation that grants a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a solid bipartisan vote Tuesday night after supporters somberly sidestepped a controversy over the rights of gay spouses. The 13-5 vote cleared the way for an epic showdown on the Senate floor on legislation that is one of President Barack Obama's top domestic p...

Apple's Cook faces Senate questions on taxes WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate dragged Apple Inc., the world's most valuable company, into the debate over the U.S. tax code Tuesday, grilling CEO Tim Cook over allegations that its Irish subsidiaries help the company avoid billions in U.S. taxes. Cook said the subsidiaries have nothing to do with reducing its U.S. taxes, a message he struggled to convey to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. "We pay all the taxes we owe — every...

2 FBI agents who died remembered for valor NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday praised two agents who died while training off the Virginia Beach coast last weekend for their "true and unerring valor." Special Agents Christopher W. Lorek and Stephen P. Shaw were remembered Tuesday at a private memorial ceremony at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial Chapel at Quantico , the agency reported on its website. The agents fell to their deaths Friday when a helicopter ran int...

Portland, Ore., voting on water fluoridation PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oral health and politics collided Tuesday as Portlanders — proudly nonconformist and environmentally minded — decided whether their city remains the largest in the U.S. without public fluoridation. Voters had weeks to make their choice in the mail-ballot election. But by Tuesday it was too late to rely on the postman, so drop boxes have been placed across the city to accommodate those who waited until the final day to mak...

IRS official to take the 5th at House hearing WASHINGTON (AP) — Summoned by Congress, a key figure in the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups plans to invoke her constitutional right against self-incrimination and decline to testify at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. Lois Lerner heads the IRS division that singled out conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns. She was subpoe...